Larry: Drums

Larry Daughenbaugh
Larry Daughenbaugh, Drums and Percussion

I started playing the drums when I was around 16 years old in my home town of Altoona, PA. One year a few friends and myself decided that we wanted to play in a band together. None of us had any experience as musicians nor did any of us actually play an instrument. It was sort of kismet how we all decided to pick out the instrument we were interested in the most. Naturally, I decided to pick up the drums. Needless to say my Christmas wish that year was a new drum set. I practiced and played along non-stop to various songs for months leading up to Christmas. I initially used to sticks, pencils or pens as drumsticks, whatever I could get my hands on really. My drums were pillows, tablets and whatever else I could use as a makeshift drum kit.

My Christmas wish came true that year when I got my very first drum kit, a Tama Rockstar Series five piece kit. It was quite an amazing day and as they say the rest is history. I can't actually recall those early struggles but I do remember various milestones where I'd gain the ability to play a different time signature or keep a more difficult beat.

I took lessons from a few different instructors over the years. Those lessons really strengthened my understanding and ability to play some of the basics principles.

Since I was the drummer in my first band our practices were naturally held at my house. Not only did my parents purchase my first kit for me and put up with my constant pounding on the drums day in and day out but they also put up with our weekly practices. Talk about a great set of parents!

My love for drumming never died but when I left for college the band broke up and we went our separate ways. I was lost in studies and apartment living so my drumming was on hiatus for seven years. That didn't stop me from wearing out table tops and my car's steering wheels over the years. I couldn't play the drums like I usually would but I made due with whatever I could get my hands on.

In 2009 a friend of mine got me in touch with a local band that was looking for a drummer. I spoke with Jon and his band S.O.S and their interests. They gave me a list of the songs they played and a few days later I was trying out for them. I had a blast and so did the boys in S.O.S. The decision to bring me on board was immediate and I've been a part of S.O.S ever since!

Gear

I've never really had much experience on kits outside of Tama although I've been tempted for a few years now to pick up a DW kit. I actually still play on the kit I got back when I was 16 ... the heads have been changed a few hundred times of course. I play Avedis Zildjian cymbals with Tama or DW hardware and Remo Pinstripe heads. My kit currently consists of:

  • 14" Snare
  • 10" and 12" Mounted Toms
  • 16" Floor Tom
  • 22" Bass Drum
  • Tama Double Kick Pedal
  • 14" Rock Hi-Hats
  • 20" Rock Ride
  • Two 17" and one 16" Crash Cymbals
  • 20" China Low
  • 10" Splash
  • Tambourine
  • Tri-Bells Cowbell (You can never have enough cowbell!)

Influences

I'm a huge Rush fan and an even larger fan of Neil Peart ... what drummer isn't? I believe Neil Peart was the sole reason for my interest in drumming early on. Outside of Neil Peart I'm a big fan of Danny Carey (Tool), Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews), and of course the eminent Buddy Rich.

I love the precision that is Neil Peart and the odd time signatures that Danny Carey plays. I also respect drummers who have the ability to write and play simpler and more straight-forward rock beats. Drummers like Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Nick Menza (Megadeth), Sean Kinney (Alice in Chains) and more.